Lo, How A Rose E're Blooming
by Difinity
Summary: You can't help but talk about the past and think about the future. But until the future comes, the present is what matters. Cloud x Aerith


Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII © Square Enix

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L o , H o w A R o s e E 'r e B l o o m i n g

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_She sat there;_

_Among the flowers,_

_she loved._

_(wondering what_

_her_

_F u t u r e_

_would_

_Be like?)_

_& he came_

_Searching for_

_Her(_

_poor boy;)_

_Both_

_Unknowing_

_that_

_Searching;_

_E n d l e s s l y_

_would be_

_His life_

_(forever more)_

_after she_

_Was gone._

_- - -_

She was alone out in the field among the flowers. Not too far off in the distance was a small farm they were staying in for the night. The owner who had become their friend over a short period of time offered them his home as a rest stop before they continued on their hunt for the one cloaked in darkness. Their journey would never stop until they found him and defeated him, saving the Planet in the process. These were their main objectives.

She knew this to be true but as long if she didn't have to think about it, she wouldn't. The thought of her Planet slowly withering away and a madman on the loose to exploit the knowledge of her people was stressful and overbearing to think about. Being out in the sun, among the flowers like this, helped calm the fears that would creep into her head when she was alone. Of course, this is why she always hated to be alone; her thoughts would get the best of her and no one would be around to take her mind off of things.

A rustle among the flowers caught her ears and she looked up to see a tall man carefully making his way towards her. His golden hair, combed in an unusual way, waved slightly in the breeze and his eyes, his Mako exposed eyes, were sharp. She always saw the fierceness in his eyes, the way they were at times cold and troubled but she treasured when they softened, when they glowed with a sense of happiness that never showed on his face, but his eyes, oh his eyes had such stories to tell.

She had grown so fond of them.

So fond of him.

As he approached her, she waved up at him and motioned him down.

"Want to help me with the flowers?"

She watched his eyes for a moment and saw a rush of emotions.

Confusion.

Worry.

Embarrassment.

And finally,

Warmth.

"Sure."

He knelt down beside her and watched as she carefully tended to the flowers. She touched the stems, stroked the petals and checked the ground. All while she did this, her eyes were soft, a small smile gracing her lips. She didn't say anything, which was a rarity; she simply did what she did best without a single word. After she was done, she rested her hands on her lap and smiled at him, explaining to him what to do and watched him as he did so.

"…There, I think you have the hang of it," she chirped. Not looking up, he chuckled and continued his busy work.

"You really love flowers, don't you, Aerith?" he asked her.

Aerith nodded vigorously and began to tend to the flowers again.

"Oh yes! I've loved them ever since I was a little girl. Most of my fondest memories are of me in the garden behind my home…and with the flowers in the church," she reminisced. Cloud stopped and looked at her.

"So you've been working with flowers your whole life, practically," he mused. Aerith nodded.

"Well, ever since I came to live with Elmyra, that is. …Or maybe even when I was with my real mother…but of course, there weren't any times where we could stop to look at them!" she smiled wistfully. "But I remember always loving them. Whenever we got the chance, my mother and I would stop to look and be with the flowers. Once we got to Midgar, well, you know how rare flowers are there."

It was difficult for him to believe that she, who was still so innocent, had led such a terrible life from the time she was so young. Always running from Shinra, he would've expected her to be incredibly bitter. Her whole childhood was torn apart because of them, yet there she was, bright and optimistic, young, healthy and…happy. Maybe it was something in her blood that made her this way or perhaps it was just in her character to keep looking ahead into tomorrow. To have someone like that so near him, he was very grateful for it.

Cloud shook his head. "Sounds kind of sad." Aerith nodded.

"Yeah…but I was happy while I was with Mom. After she died, I'll admit it hurt a lot, but knowing she'd still be there with me before she returned to the Planet and even thereafter, it helped. Elmyra helped a lot too, so I'm grateful to both my Moms," Aerith sighed dreamily.

Cloud smiled at her softly as she looked up at the sky. Her skin, porcelain white, glowed in the sunlight. She shut her eyes, her long thick eyelashes resting softly and thick locks of chestnut hair framed her face. Aerith opened her eyes and turned her head to glance over at him.

She smiled softly. "And you? What do you remember?"

He mulled over his thoughts for a few moments before answering. "Not a lot, really. And it's not really happy." Aerith nodded in understanding. "But I do remember my Mom. She was a vibrant woman and she'd worry a lot about me, but I guess all moms do. I never said much but she always had enough conversation for the both of us."

Aerith thought for a second. "What about your father?"

Cloud shrugged. "He died when I was very young; I really don't remember anything about him. Mom would rarely talk about him, either, so I always believed it was too painful for her to mention him. I didn't pry. My mother did her best. She loved me and that's really enough for me. I think about her from time to time and I'll be big about it and admit I miss her."

Aerith nodded at him. "Well, there's no shame in admitting you miss your mother. I know I do. I miss both of them."

At this, Cloud stopped. There was a burning question he had wanted to ask her for a while but was afraid to do so. Something inside of him told him it was rude to ask, especially the way it sounded, but he was curious. Another part of him, however, was afraid to ask in fear that she might take it the wrong way and leave. He reasoned with himself that he was looking too far into it and that it was just an innocent question. Clearing his throat, Cloud opened his mouth to speak.

"There's something I've wanted to ask you for a while, Aerith," he mumbled. "…Do you regret coming out here with me?" He caught himself. "I mean, us?"

Aerith looked surprised and quickly shook her head. "Of course not! I can't say that I don't miss my Mom but I know this is what I have to do. The Planet is my responsibility too, Cloud, and I have to do all I can to protect it…" she trailed, her thoughts seeping into her heart again.

Cloud noticed this and peered at her a bit closer. "You okay?" Aerith was silent for a moment and nodded, staring at the flowers, her eyes growing dark. Cloud was a bit unnerved, having never seen Aerith look this way before. He reached out to touch her when she spoke.

"Hey Cloud," she said softly, "…You'll never forget me, will you? I mean -- after this is all over, you won't forget about me, right?" She corrected herself after seeing Cloud's expression. It was a combination of shock, confusion and fear. Aerith waved her hands at him nervously, regretting letting the question escape her lips but it was one she couldn't evade.

The thought had been in her mind as of late after she considered the situation they were in. Hope was bleak and Sephiroth had the upper hand. Aerith spent many sleepless nights wondering, praying and thinking of a solution that could help them. As she pulled her ribbon from her hair one night before bed, their last hope fell into the palm of her hand and it was then she understood what might need to be done.

She also recognized the consequences that might follow that solution.

It was then that the question came into her mind. What would Cloud think? What would he do? What would happen to him, who would take care of him? Would he remember her? Or would she fade into the past as so many others had?

"Aerith, what do you mean?" Cloud asked, incredulous.

"Oh nothing. After it's all over, you know? Will you remember me? Won't you miss having me around?" Aerith smiled at him in a teasing manner, hoping to distract Cloud from thinking too hard about her question. She didn't want him to even think of what she might do, of what she might _have_ to do. Giggling, Aerith glanced away and turned her attention to the flowers before her.

She was expecting some sort of an answer and glanced over at Cloud when she heard silence. Cloud's eyes were downcast and to Aerith's surprise, his cheeks were slightly red.

"Cloud?"

"…Um, I wasn't expecting you to -- or, rather, I hadn't thought about you, um," he stuttered. Aerith smiled at him.

It was his awkwardness and timidity that Aerith found so endearing. Despite his rough exterior, Aerith saw a shy young man behind his façade. She wanted to reach out to him and pull that young man out because it was him that she cared so much about. At first it struck her strange how he and Zack were so similar in personality and appearance. But after a while, Aerith saw that this man wasn't Zack; he was far from Zack.

He was Cloud Strife from Nibelheim. He was of SOLIDER. He was strong and brave, stoic and somber. But he was also warm and kind. Cloud was shy and easily embarrassed. Awkward and clumsy. He was Cloud, not Zack. And when she searched in her heart, deep into the feelings of warmth, compassion…and love, she saw the strong, brave, stoic, somber, warm, kind, shy, embarrassed, awkward and clumsy man beside her at the moment.

She saw Cloud.

Only Cloud.

"Cloud?" she asked softly again.

"I was kind of hoping we'd stay together afterwards," he mumbled. Aerith pursed her lips together.

"The whole team?"

Cloud cleared his throat. "Sure, I guess, but I was talking about…you and me," he explained, his blush growing into a darker shade of red. Aerith was stunned speechless and Cloud continued. "I want you to stay by my side."

Shocked, Aerith turned back to the flowers to calm the erratic beat of her heart. Taking a deep breath, Cloud gathered all the courage he could, leaned in close to her and kissed her cheek tenderly. It was amazing that he wasn't afraid of Shinra, Jenova or Sephiroth, but expressing his deepest feelings of affection to one simple flower girl was enough to make him tremble in fear.

At this action Aerith froze and Cloud's heart fell.

"A-Aerith, sorry, I don't know what I was thinking, I'm sorry I --"

Without thinking twice, Aerith turned to Cloud and flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and knocking them both the ground among the flowers. Cloud's eyes grew wide and could've sworn his heart had flown out of his chest in surprise. It was beating wildly against his ribcage as Aerith kept her grip around him. He could feel her breathe and saw that her breath was erratic as well. Sensing that they were both nervous but overwhelmed with emotion, Cloud took the initiative and wrapped his arms around Aerith.

They lay in each other's arms for a few moments before Aerith pulled away slightly to look down at Cloud who lay beneath her. His eyes looked pale blue in the sunlight and his face was a brilliant shade of crimson. Aerith smiled at him.

In the light like this, gazing up at Aerith this way, Cloud thought back to the moment Aerith found him lying in her flower bed. She was beautiful then, beautiful now, except now…Cloud saw her through the eyes of one who was in love.

'_He wants me to stay with him'_, Aerith thought. Truthfully, she didn't know if she would be around long enough to fulfill that dream. But at the moment, she was so blissfully happy that she'd stop thinking about the dangers she might face and thought of Cloud.

Only Cloud.

"Okay…I'll stay with you. I'll go wherever you go. We'll stay together, Cloud…" Aerith promised.

Cloud's eyes shone and for the first time in a long time, a bright smile lit his face. Aerith laughed; he looked so much like a little boy at that moment, eager and pleased.

Caught in the moment, Cloud wrapped one arm around Aerith's waist, which she yelped at, and turned them over so he was laying atop her. Eyes widened and pale face blushing furiously, Aerith blinked rapidly. Cloud chuckled.

"So…" Cloud commented. He gulped as he saw Aerith close her eyes, lean forward and realized he was completely unprepared. However, Aerith had other ideas and to Cloud's surprise and slight dismay, rubbed their noses together.

An Eskimo kiss.

Laughing, Aerith leaned back and opened her eyes to gaze at Cloud, who looked heavily flustered and slightly disappointed. Her laughs quieted, however, as she closed her eyes again, feeling Cloud's breath creep closer and closer until there was no space between them and he pressed his lips gently against hers.

After slowly parting, they gazed into one another's eyes and said nothing, needing no words.

"I won't forget you, Aerith," Cloud broke the silence. Aerith opened her mouth to speak but Cloud shook his head. "I don't know what you're thinking but you won't have to worry about that. I promise." Aerith searched his eyes and saw that he was sincere, speaking so earnestly that it was almost palpable. She reached up and cradled Cloud's face in her hands, smiling tenderly at the man above her. She didn't know what to do, what to say. They stood up, hand in hand, gazing at the flowers around them, silent.

"I guess we should head back before the others start to worry," Aerith suggested. Cloud nodded but pulled her towards him, embracing her. Aerith shut her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder, sighing and wrapping her slender arms around him.

Lost in the moment, Aerith didn't think of the Planet, of Jenova and Sephiroth, of her fears or the team. She thought about the strong, brave, stoic, somber, warm, kind, shy, embarrassed, awkward and clumsy man she loved.

She thought of Cloud.

Only Cloud.


End file.
